Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Apr 27: Assam Minister for Health and Finance, Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh here and discussed super-speciality plan for the government sector hospitals in the State. He also acknowledged the DoNER Minister’s help in arranging Super-speciality Oncology Cancer training for physicians and surgeons in specialized centres outside the State.
Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed to Himanta Biswa Sarma that he had already held a series of discussions with the management of Adyar Cancer Institute,Chennai and they were ready to work out the modalities of setting up Super-speciality Cancer OPD at District Hospital level. He suggested that a meeting of the officials of Health Ministry with the representatives of Adyar Cancer Institute could soon be held at Guwahati to finalize the further plan of action.
Considering the fact that among the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Cancer was recording the highest prevalence in Northeast, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a beginning has been made with supplementation of the Oncology Super-speciality in different health centres of the region. Accordingly, he said, the Dr. Barooah Cancer Institute at Guwahati has also been supplemented with the faculty and infrastructure from Tata Memorial Cancer Centre, Mumbai which runs under the aegis of Department of Atomic Energy. Super-speciality course of McH Onco-Surgery was started last year in this i.nstitute and every effort is being made to start a similar course of DM Onco-Medicine from the next session, he added.
In addition, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Ministry of DoNER has also received a proposal from the Government of Assam for partial funding of a super-speciality hospital and a meeting in this regard will be held next week to work out the feasibility. Meanwhile, he said, the services of the super-speciality hospitals in different parts of the country are being solicited to hold workshops for doctors, health camps for patients and at the same time, supplement the existing healthcare services in the State.
Dr Jitendra Singh also referred to a proposal for starting “Air Clinics” using helicopters to hold OPD in remote and far-flung areas of the region. This initiative, he said, is being pursued by the State Government of Manipur and will require the support of Union Ministry of Health as well as Union Ministry of Aviation.
Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed satisfaction over his meeting with Dr Jitendra Singh and said that he would direct the officials in the Ministry of Health in the State Government to follow-up all these issues for expedient implementation. He also revealed that some more healthcare programmes and projects will soon be worked out for the State.
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